


Shifting Paradigm

by twinsarein



Series: Paradigm [1]
Category: Smallville
Genre: Alternate Reality, Future Fic, M/M, Pre-Slash
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-09-25
Updated: 2010-09-25
Packaged: 2017-10-12 04:44:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,610
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/120949
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/twinsarein/pseuds/twinsarein
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Lex is taking steps against Superman, when he witnesses some things that cause him to rethink his plans.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Shifting Paradigm

**Author's Note:**

  * For [nonotthatone](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts?recipient=nonotthatone).



Bracing his forearm above his head, Lex leaned forward, looking out of the plexiglass window that pretty much made up the west wall of his office. The view was spectacular, and as LexCorp was the tallest building in Metropolis, he could even see the beautiful colors of the day's sunset.

At thirty, Lex had almost everything he'd ever wanted. He hadn't turned into his father, his company was thriving, and he was in a good position to begin his political ambitions during the next mayoral election in Metropolis.

The string of ex-wives and ex-girlfriends behind him, though, delineated the one thing he lacked. Companionship. He had no one to share it with, not even a friend. His lifestyle didn't encourage friends, and the one legacy he still had from his father was paranoia.

His therapist was working with him on that.

He was glad he'd hired her. He'd done it as soon as his success had outpaced Lionel's. That way he was more confident that the person would remain loyal to him, and not be bought by his father. It had still been quite a while before he'd trusted her with his real issues, but once he had, she'd been an incredible help. Several years of therapy with her was starting to make a dent in his paranoia, but he still had a healthy dose.

It made having friends difficult. The faces of Duncan and Clark flashed through his mind. The only two friends he'd ever had. He'd talked about them both with his therapist. At length. It was too late with Duncan. With Clark, as much as he'd like that friendship back, as much as he'd like more than friendship if he was being brutally honest, he didn't think it was possible anymore. Not considering...

Pushing away from the window, Lex made himself stop the futile direction of his thoughts. Turning to look around the rest of his office, Lex started towards the newest addition to his space.

It was a large console, dominated by a large monitor in the middle. The monitor was surrounded by many dials and buttons. Lex had spent several hours learning how it all worked. He was all set to put it to its intended use, now, and it had been that knowledge that had made him go to the window in the first place.

Going down this road had him flashing back to the three years he'd lived in Smallville, and reminded him of his obsessive behavior back then. His therapist wouldn't be pleased. Still he didn't know what else to do.

Lex looked at the monitor, and then over at the television screen that he used to keep abreast of the news. He smiled tightly. His system was better. Not only was the picture on his monitor clearer, but it also gave better close-ups. If he was going to do this, he might as well have the best.

Through a contract with the government, he now had access to their satellite system. Not that they knew about it. Even better, he had his own independent sensors and cameras mounted on the satellites. Which meant, he could direct his cameras on each satellite to see whatever he wanted.

Even if he didn't really want to see it.

Red, blue, and yellow filled the screen. Superman. It was always about Superman, these days. Still, 'know your enemy' was a rule that Lex lived by. Now, Lex would be able to watch Superman much more closely, suss out all his weak spots. Lex narrowed his eyes at the monitor. Finding out how to stop Superman would be so easy, now that Lex had this advantage.

Lex didn't actually consider Superman an enemy. Not really. Not when he could remember the boy he'd known back in Smallville. He had fond memories of their friendship, even if they hadn't parted on the best of terms. Even if Clark had obviously done nothing but lie to him, had obviously never trusted him. Still, he hadn't borne his former friend much ill will.

It was getting harder not to, however. Apparently, Oliver Queen, although Lex wasn't supposed to know his identity, had started a little band of heroes a few years ago. They hadn't gotten too much attention until Superman had joined their ranks two months ago. For some reason, Oliver had it in for Lex and kept directing Clark, as Superman of course, to break into LexCorp labs and destroy them. Three had been hit, so far.

It didn't seem to matter that the first two had actually been remnants of his father's time at the helm, before he'd finally died of liver failure less than a year ago. The transplant Lionel had received helped him beat the odds for several years, but his luck had run out.

Lex was still cleaning up the mess and slowly integrating parts of his father's business into his own. Lex hadn't even known about the first two labs until Superman had destroyed them. He'd still gotten the blame, of course.

The third one was one of Lex's, and he'd happened to be there yesterday when Superman had burst through a wall. 'Let the people go,' he'd said. It had incensed Lex. As if he'd been holding them captive.

For once, Lex had a chance to defend himself and his work. Clark...Superman had stood there with his arms crossed and listened impassively, until the people there had confirmed that what was happening to them was voluntarily.

Superman had left with a stammered apology and a confused look on his face.

The whole incident made Lex decide he was correct - someone as powerful as Superman shouldn't be allowed to roam around unchecked. Even if Lex never used what he learned, he should still be prepared to do what was necessary if the alien got out of hand.

Alien. It was still so hard to believe that had been what Clark was hiding all that time. Maybe if Lex had stuck around in Smallville, he would have discovered it much sooner. However, after Clark had confronted him about his special room in the mansion, after Lex was forced to face just how obsessed he was behaving, he'd decided to leave.

There wasn't much to stay for anyway. Not with his father in prison and Clark ending their friendship. Clark was the only reason he'd stayed so long, as it was. He hadn't even gone back to the mansion after his father's trial. He'd gone straight to Metropolis.

It had been a good move on his part. He'd taken what he'd learned from his father, tempered that with what he'd learned by working at the factory in Smallville, and he'd managed to rebuild LexCorp and turn it into quite a financial empire. He'd become much more successful in the last eight years than his father had managed in the quarter century before that. And, Lex had managed to do it more or less honestly.

Baring the occasional incident, such as rewiring some government satellites. Still, it wasn't like he had any nefarious plots in mind. He just wanted to protect the planet. Just like Superman was doing. From Superman, if necessary.

It wasn't personal. Not yet, anyway. However, if Superman continued to listen to Oliver, continued to burst in on his labs on his say so, then Lex believed that he'd come to hate the hero in time. Could see putting the knowledge he'd be gaining now to use.

With that in mind, Lex turned his full attention to the monitor. Apparently, there was flooding out in Tennessee, and the brightly colored crusader was out there helping with the rescue efforts. Him with his flashy powers and skintight costumes.

Lex shook his head to clear his mind. He had no business noticing the sculpted muscles and the perfect physique, comparing them to the few memories he had of seeing Clark without a shirt on. That wasn't why he was watching the man. Alien. Whatever.

No, he was watching so he could learn how Clar...Superman's thought processes worked, what his strategies were, how he dealt with pressure or unanticipated problems. With his monitors, he had the perfect way to do that.

Unfortunately, he'd already missed the first several days of Superman's efforts in Tennessee as his monitors hadn't been online. He'd had to rely on the inadequate news media.

However, he had his superior technology now, and Lex knew it was going to give him everything he needed.

Settling back in his seat, Lex determined to watch his former friend until the hero quit for the day. For hours he sat there and watched as Superman ferried people that were trapped by the water to safety. He watched as Superman helped build barricades against the water and deliver supplies far earlier than they would have arrived without his help.

Lex watched long into the night, until he realized that Superman wasn't going to stop. With his alien abilities, Superman could continue searching for people without light, could listen for the slightest sound that indicated life.

If Superman could keep going, then so could Lex. He had no plans on moving, except for manipulating the monitor to keep it on the alien as much as possible. Eyes gritty with lack of sleep, Lex stayed until after dawn, until the sun was well above the horizon. Superman hadn't rescued anyone in over an hour, and Lex figured that he'd head back to Metropolis, now.

His hopes were high when he saw Clark land next to someone he assumed was a Red Cross coordinator. Lex wished for sound capabilities, though. That the news media had them was definitely a point in their column.

Watching the two talk, though, Lex didn't like the look of the gestures the Red Cross person was making. There was the handshake that Lex had expected to see, but then several others that looked like she was explaining something to the hero. And then she was pointing to the west.

Superman looked a little worse for wear, and a little tired. Lex thought he'd be happier at learning that the alien could even get tired. So far, no one had ever seen him at less than his best. He had appeared to have an inexhaustible supply of energy.

Now, Lex knew that wasn't true. He wasn't sure why he didn't feel like celebrating. This was valuable information, and could help him if he should ever need to take the hero down.

On the monitor, Superman turned to look in the direction she pointed to and then took to the air. Lex really needed sound. Using the television's remote, Lex turned to the Superman channel. He hated to do it, but his curiosity was too great, and his monitors wouldn't help him too much if he didn't know where the alien was heading.

There was some sort of obnoxious puppet show going on - retelling the dramatic tale of Superman's first appearance to the public. Lex actually had to sit through several minutes before the always-on-call reporter came on to report the latest Superman sighting.

The Superman channel was the only station Lex knew of without a regular schedule - any programing was instantly paused to cover live action, and with someone like Superman, there was a lot of live action to cover. According to the reporter, Superman was just arriving in Montana to help fight a forest fire. A community was completely cut off, and the firemen were losing the battle.

Turning back to his monitor, Lex keyed up the coordinates he needed and zoomed in on the disaster. It was a bad blaze, and Lex winced as he remembered how intense the heat had been and how severe the pain when Desiree had set him on fire.

The news crews were grounded, as the firefighters were not letting anyone fly above the blaze. Lex's line of sight, however, was from space. He could see right into the community that was surrounded.

The sight was not a pleasant one. People were panicking; some were already prone in the streets, and Lex assumed smoke inhalation to be the culprit. Parents were frantically trying to protect their children.

When Superman arrived, Lex could see the hope and relief in many eyes. He saw that hope fade when they realized that Superman could only carry a few at a time. Strength-wise he could manage them all, but he was only slightly larger than the human norm, so his arms could only hold so many.

Superman managed two trips before someone finally broke. It was a man, and he leaped up just after Superman took off and managed to grab onto a little girl's foot. Horror stole over the face of the world's strongest man, as the child started to slip out of his grasp while he was holding several other children.

Managing to catch her, he couldn't do anything about her shoe slipping off, or the man who fell down into the greedy flames below.

If Lex hadn't been watching so closely, if he hadn't know the boy before the hero, he might have missed the wobble in his flight and the moment of profound grief that crossed Superman's features before he banished all emotion from his face.

Another weakness. Superman's heart. Lex could well remember from Smallville how much love Clark's could hold. He'd always seemed to care about the plight of strangers with almost the same intensity as that of his family and friends. It looked like being Superman hadn't hardened him at all. Which made no sense to Lex. Surely having to rescue others from the worst that humanity could do would sour someone on people as a whole.

However, Superman's caring heart is something else Lex could exploit when the time came. Within twenty-four hours of his monitor coming online, he already knew two weaknesses he could use against the alien, if need be.

He didn't feel as elated about it as he thought he'd be. Superman was always swooping in to save the day. Everyone cheered him when he showed up. It was aggravating to Lex that no one ever saw the potential threat the alien represented.

However, Lex had never thought about how Superman...Clark...would feel when he failed. It was easy to see that, in spite of the number of people he was saving, he considered that one lost life a failure. Even though there was nothing he could have done to prevent it.

Even with the realization that there was a cost to Clark for what Superman did, Lex was still surprised to feel himself reaching for the phone and ordering his company's operator to get him the Fire Chief in charge in Montana.

When Fire Chief Henry finally came on the line, Lex was even more surprised by what he said. "Fire Chief, you don't know me, and who I am is unimportant, but what I have to say is very important."

Pausing to swallow, Lex couldn't believe that he was going to continue. "The roof of the community center is flat, and the building is going to be a loss anyway. Tell Superman to rip it off and use it to carry more people to safety."

A little shellshocked at his turnaround, at helping the man who's weaknesses he was seeking, Lex hung up the phone with words of gratitude still being spoken into his ear.

Going back to his monitor, Lex watched Clark deposit the latest, pitifully small group of people and make to fly off again. His face was a blank mask, but Lex could see the weariness and grief in his posture.

Stopped by a voice from behind him, Superman turned and lit back on the ground. Lex watched him talk to the Fire Chief, and saw a tired, but genuine smile cross his features. A warm glow kindled to life in Lex at knowing he helped put that smile there. Lex ruthlessly squashed it down. Such a warm feeling had no place in his heart, considering what he was trying to do with his monitoring of Superman.

Still watching, Lex saw Superman loosen the roof off the community's largest building. Then, the alien flew people to that, and then flew them all to safety. He only needed one more trip after that to get the community cleared of all human, and even pet, residents.

Sooty and even more tired looking, Lex could see a small improvement in Superman's posture that told Lex the alien was feeling a little better. He quickly squashed any glowy feelings about that, too.

With all the people safe, Superman set to work helping the firemen contain the blaze, so it wouldn't spread to the next community. Digging fire breaks to deprive an area of oxygen was his main contributions, but it started to have an effect. The fire was resistant, but eventually man, and alien, started to win against nature.

Lex could see the moment Superman realized the tide had turned, because the hero relaxed his control a little and the exhaustion showed through. Waving to the men below, Superman turned in mid-air and left.

Movements slow with his own exhaustion, Lex shut down the monitor. There was an alarm built in, so that if Superman was observed doing one of a long list of do-gooder activities (although, not everything because that would get ridiculous very quickly), Lex would be automatically paged.

Gathering a few reports to take with him, Lex turned to go, but was stopped by a tapping sound. Looking around, it was all Lex could do to keep his jaw from hitting the floor at the sight of Superman hovering outside his office's balcony door, arms crossed over his chest. He was dirty and smudged, and Lex refused to think about how good he looked.

Staring briefly, Lex forced himself to snap out of it and walked over to open the doors to his terrace. "What are you doing here?" There was more Lex wanted to say, such as 'why aren't you at your apartment cleaning up and getting some sleep,' however, Lex didn't want to give in to his concern. Or, to give it away.

Crossing his arms over his chest, Superman glared at Lex unblinkingly. "What are you up to, Luthor?"

Giving the judgmental hero a noncommittal look, Lex shrugged. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Give is a rest, Le-Luthor. The roof? That was you, I know it was. Only the government should have had access to the ariel shots necessary to see into that community. There was no way to see it from the ground because of the smoke and flames. They wouldn't have made the call anonymously. I know you just finished some sort of project with them on satellites. So, why did you do it? Why did you help?"

Taking in the belligerent stance and the implacable gaze, Lex just shook his head. "You're delusional. Now, go aw..."

Breaking off as Superman cocked his head, Lex was too tired to be very startled when the alien rose a foot off the carpet. "This isn't over, Luthor, but I have to go. Tsunami is about to hit the coast of Italy."

Gone before he could say another word, Lex ran out to the balcony and spoke into the late morning air. "I know you can hear me, Superman. If you get there in time, try freezing the wave to stop it. The steam if you try to evaporate it with your heat vision would kill people."

Blinking in shock at helping again, this time overtly, Lex clenched his hands together. He couldn't afford to soften now. Not when he finally had some advantages over the alien to think about and plan for. Contingency plans were a vital piece of future survival. Forcing his eyes to not droop, Lex turned briskly and went back inside to turn on his monitor again.

********************

For the next two weeks, Lex hardly left his office. He took short naps on the couch, had his secretary bring in food, and used the bathroom just off his office to freshen up. Luckily, he had a very competent upper management team, so his business didn't suffer too much from his lack of direct supervision.

The amount of disasters that had happened around the world in such a short space of time was unbelievable. Lex looked to see if there was something unnatural in the way they were happening, but so far he hadn't spotted anything.

Superman had successfully averted the tsunami in Italy; freezing the water had worked just as Lex had hoped it would. It had stopped the water in its path, and prevented it from wrecking havoc.

Shortly after starting back across the Atlantic, Superman had stopped in mid-air, and mouthed the words, 'Thank you,' to the sky. Lex had felt an unexpected surge of pleasure from the alien's acknowledgement of his suggestion.

Not liking to delude himself, Lex refused to believe that Superman was coming back to finish their conversation. At least, until the hero's flight path was a little more obvious. The trajectory was definitely Metropolis, but where in Metropolis wouldn't be clear until he was much closer. Several seconds later, the question was moot.

More than halfway across the ocean, Lex had seen Superman get an anguished look on his face. He'd increased his speed, and was soon gone from Lex's monitor before he could adjust the controls.

After another dreaded look at the Superman Channel, Lex discovered there was a mudslide in progress in California. The biggest the state had ever seen, and too late to stop.

Superman spent several more days helping with rescue and clean-up. Then, there had been an avalanche in the Alps that buried several buildings, and trapped a few dozen people. Superman managed to locate them all and dig them out.

After that one, Clark had actually managed to get home, but it wasn't more than four hours later that a volcano erupted in Papua New Guinea. Superman never even hesitated to appear on the scene. There were a few people close to the eruption that he carried to safety. Most of his time, however, he spent trying to contain the ash and cool the lava down.

Lex didn't know how he did it. As far as he could tell, the alien hadn't stop to sleep and he barely ate. He remembered the boy he'd known back in Smallville and what an appetite he had. He couldn't figure out how Clark was keeping it together.

Watching Superman for the last few weeks, had effects that Lex hadn't planned on. He'd sussed out weaknesses, that was true, but he found he had no longer had any desire to exploit them. It was obvious, to anyone with eyes, that the alien had no plans to dominate the world. He loved the people on it too much, and he worked so hard to save them.

Much of the old resentment at being lied to for three years, and the new animosity from the destroyed labs had faded, as well. Lex had helped Superman from a distance, but seeing all his efforts for humanity, made Lex want to get involved more directly.

Superman always seemed to have things well in hand, however. There hadn't been any help Lex could offer since those two incidents in the beginning. Other than monetarily, that was. He also made efforts to provide a cover for Superman's secret identity.

There was no way that Clark had time to set something up before all the disasters started to hit. It was obvious that he needed someone to look out for him. Clark didn't do it, and neither did Oliver Queen's band. Nobody thought to watch the back of the strongest man alive. No one saw the need.

Lex did. Now.

Superman might have many abilities and powers, but a sense of self-preservation wasn't one of them. He was helping people to beyond the point of exhaustion. Once every few days, he'd launch himself straight up. They were the only times he wasn't in the thick of things. It took Lex two weeks before he finally found out were he went.

Straight up was right. Superman launched himself right into the upper atmosphere, where protection from the rays of the sun was almost nonexistent. That the alien got nourishment, or at least energy, from the sun was obvious, and was another valuable piece of information. As was his lack of self-preservation. Lex just couldn't bring himself to care anymore.

Not after he saw the strongest man alive fall to his knees in the middle of a vast prairie, after failing to save a family in the last disaster. Silent, as tears tracked down his cheeks. Not after Lex saw him get up seconds later, and go right back to saving everyone he could.

As he continued to watch, Lex didn't observe any more cracks in Superman's control, but he did start to realize that the sun didn't work indefinitely. Superman came back from his trips to the upper atmosphere less and less refreshed each time. So, the sun didn't take care of all of his needs. Still, he wouldn't take a break.

The toll was becoming obvious. Even the reporters in the field were starting to comment on it. It just made him more of a hero in their eyes. For the first time in a long time, Lex agreed with them. The reporter on the Superman Channel was the first to notice, and Lex opinion of that station went considerably higher, after that.

Superman was leaving disasters a little earlier than he might have in the past, though. Once lives were no longer actively at risk, he wasn't staying to help with the clean-up. Lex approved. It might mean that Clark actually got some rest, finally.

For the first time in several disasters, Lex thought that Clark might actually make it home. Clark even got close enough for Lex to tell that he was heading for the Kent Farm in Smallville, and not Metropolis. Another idea Lex approved of. The farm would be a much better place to recuperate than the dingy apartment Clark had in the city.

Once again, though, Lex saw Clark stop in the middle of the sky. This time with a look of horror on his face. He turned around and squinted into the distance, the look of horror getting more pronounced. Without even a longing, backwards glance at where he'd been heading, Superman increased his speed, and was once again gone from Lex's monitor.

Heaving a sigh, Lex went over to the television and turned it on. It was always set to The Superman Channel these days, as they had the best response time when it came to their hero.

Standing a few feet in front of the television, Lex waited to hear what form the latest disaster took. It took longer than usual. Just as Lex got too impatient, and was about to change the station, he heard it.

Mexico.

A devastating earthquake had hit the coast, near Acapulco. With a loss of life that couldn't be estimated, yet. They just knew that the power of the quake put it at one of the twenty worst in history, and that it had flattened buildings in three cities, and caused damage even further than that.

Backing up, Lex let himself fall into the couch behind him. He dropped his head into his hands, his elbows braced on his knees. Superman wasn't going to be able to make this a quick rescue mission.

Dozens of square miles, more likely hundreds, were going to have to be searched for survivors. Then, they'd have to be dug out. Weakened buildings would have to be shored up, or collapsed in a controlled fashion, so no one else would be hurt. Water and food would have to be distributed because most of what was there would now be contaminated. The dead would have to be buried as soon as possible, and the wounded would need patching up.

So much needed to be done, and Superman wasn't going to stop until it all had been. This was a disaster that Lex just knew Superman wouldn't leave to others to clean up. There was just too much.

However, this disaster was something civilians could help to ease. Volunteers and donations could help with most, if not all, of the tasks ahead. Leave less for Superman to do.

Thankfully, one of Lex's talents was being able to organize. Finally, there was something he could do to actually help. Lex reached for his phone, and started talking.

**********************

"Luthor, what are you doing here?" Superman landed next to Lex in a rubble strewn street. Of course, since the earthquake a week ago, they were all like that in this area of Mexico.

"Exactly what it looks like, flyboy." Lex propped himself up on his shovel and looked up at the superhero with as neutral a gaze as he could manage. With all he'd learned about Superman recently, he was glad to know that he could still pull it off.

With his expressionless face as a shield, Lex looked at the Superhero face-to-face for the first time in several weeks. He could see the exhaustion in his face so much more clearly. It was even more pronounced than it had been. Lex really wanted to get his hands on him, and force him to rest. Or, at least slow down.

With no access to his monitor, Lex had kept himself abreast of Superman's activity through the Superman Channel. It really did do a good job at keeping tabs on him. According to them, Superman had continued to work around the clock.

If it hadn't been for him, the death toll would have been much higher. Superman had the means to find trapped people, and dig them out, much faster than regular people could. That had been almost all he'd done since he'd arrived. However, the number of survivors being found was getting fewer and fewer. Being too late, time and time again, was taking even more of a toll on the already exhausted superhero than it normally would.

"It looks as if you're trying to help with the clean up, but you don't like getting your hands dirty. At least, not physically, so that can't be it."

Lex could have mentioned the work he'd done in the Kent family barn so many years ago, but he didn't want to mess with Superman's head. Especially when he was so clearly not at his best. Lex wasn't sure when he'd gotten so soft, but he couldn't find it in himself to fight it. Not after everything he'd witnessed in the last month.

Holding his hands up, Lex showed Superman the broken and dirty fingernails and filthy palms. "I guess you don't know as much about me as you think. Besides, as long as I'm doing what needs to be done, does it really matter what my motives are?"

"If you're going to take advantage of these people, then yes, your motives do matter. You're devious and don't care who you hurt as long as you get what you want. Don't you think they've suffered enough?" Superman crossed his arms over his chest, and did his best to look imposing.

Lex wasn't impressed. He'd grown up with Lionel Luthor, after all. Besides, the effect was muted by Superman's slight swaying in place and his drooping eyelids. What he'd said though...it went a long way to explaining why Superman had been willing to come after him on just Oliver Queen's say so.

If that's how he felt about Lex after his sojourn in Smallville, Lex was only surprised that Superman hadn't come after him earlier, or more frequently. "We don't know each other well enough for you to make judgments such as that about me. Do we?" Lex smiled inwardly, because it looked as though he hadn't gotten too soft. He was willing to mess with Superman's head a little.

"No! I...I..."

Waving away Superman's attempted denial, Lex picked up his shovel and turned his back on the still stuttering superhero. "Believe what you like. You will anyway. The only person you seem to listen to in regards to me is your emerald-outfitted, tights-wearing boss."

Lex could almost feel Clark's uncertain gaze on him as he walked back to the wreckage, but Lex ignored him and went back to shoveling. He wanted to help his former friend, but this wasn't the time or place to try and change Clark's opinion of him. A sudden breeze told him that Superman had flown off.

Over the next several days, Lex worked on coordinating the volunteers he'd put together, as well as overseeing the distribution of the supplies he'd both bought and collected for the people of Mexico. He worked closely with the Red Cross, as they knew much more about this sort of thing than he did.

He also had his R&D department back in Metropolis working on projects to improve the quality of life of the survivors in any way possible. Lex saw Superman now and again, flying overhead, but the hero didn't stop for any more confrontations.

As Lex worked, he kept himself abreast of Superman's activities by listening into the Superman Channel, via a little bud that fit right into his ear. He wasn't sure, but he suspected they had the hero's cape wired with a GPS system, because they were able to keep incredibly close tabs on him.

The alien was seemingly everywhere, but the extent of the damage was astronomical. As powerful as he was, even Superman couldn't be in more than one place at once. Towns and cities almost 100 miles from the epicenter had been deeply affected, and that was too much territory for one being to cover. No matter who that one, was.

Lex had just distributed a detection device his company had developed to as many groups of volunteers as possible. Its use was to detect survivors by their body heat. Lex, and all the other volunteers knew the chances were slim at this point, but they took to carrying them anyway. Just in case.

The day after they did, one of the devices in Lex's group went off. He immediately called for a team of medics, and the volunteers he was with started to shout for Superman. Calling into the sky the news of a survivor.

Superman came barreling through the air, and Lex could see him scanning underground as he got closer. Or, at least he could make out the squint indicative of Superman using his x-ray vision.

When he spotted what they were all shouting about, Superman put on a burst of speed, and seemed to be heading straight for the structure the person was under - a building that used to have a parking garage in the basement. Lex waited for him to pull up, but instead Superman angled his body down.

Lex couldn't let him -- "Superman! Stop!"

At the last moment, Superman curved out of his headlong dive, and landed only a few feet from Lex. "Why did you stop me?"

After all he knew that Superman had been through lately, Lex was still surprised at how haggard the alien looked. "If you'd punched through at that angle, you'd have killed whomever was down there. I know you want to get there fast, but..."

When Superman's expression changed from impatient to stricken, Lex broke off. No need to rub his face in his mistake. "Is there a different way you could get down there?"

Looking around, and scanning past the surface, Superman nodded his head. "Yes. Stand back."

"Wait, Superman."

Superman stopped in the process of grabbing his cape and wrapping it loosely around himself. "What is it now, Luthor?"

The question was probably meant to be snapped, but Superman was too weary for it to come out as anything more than resigned. "When you come back up, there should be a medic team already here. I called them right before the volunteers started to shout for you. If you're able to move the person, I just didn't want you to immediately fly off once you cleared the soil. The help will be here."

Closing his eyes, Superman nodded. Then, twisting his upper body, he uncoiled, and turned his frame into the equivalent of a drill. Angling himself towards the empty pocket of space that held a person, Superman bored his way through everything in his path.

His return trip took more time, since he couldn't carry a person back up through the narrow tunnel he'd made. Eventually, however, he cleared the debris above him, and flew out with a woman and young girl in his arms. Both were unconscious, but alive.

As promised, the medic team was waiting. They ran for Superman, and took the people from his arms as gently as possible. Superman assured them there were no broken bones, not even any fractures and, as far as he could tell, they hadn't sustained any injuries. The ground around them had been littered with empty water bottles that it had looked like the woman had pillaged from the cars in the garage.

The medics, who had been taking baseline reading as Superman recited what he knew, immediately started gently pouring a little sip of Gatorade into their mouths and massaging their throats to encourage them to swallow.

Lex came up to stand near Superman, and they both watched the efforts of the emergency personnel. The woman started coughing and coming around very quickly after the introduction of fluids, but the little girl stayed unconscious.

Looking around as frantically as her weakened state would allow, the woman started wailing when she spotted the girl lying so still on the ground. At the sound, Lex could feel Superman start to shake.

Grabbing the thick bicep closest to him, Lex found he couldn't budge the superhero the slightest bit. Superman didn't even seem aware of his presence. Knowing that shaking or slapping him would be just as futile, Lex tried waving a hand in from of his face and calling his name. He wished he could use the name he'd known him by in his youth, but Lex wasn't sure how he'd react to that right now.

Finally, Superman looked over at Lex dazedly, and even followed docilely when Lex led him away from the group around the survivors. That he did follow, no questions asked, told Lex how out of it the alien was feeling.

When Lex stopped around the corner of a collapsed building, Superman raised a shaky hand and carded it through his hair. "What is it, Luthor?"

Lex ached at the weariness in that voice. "You need to get some rest. Take some time off, refresh yourself, and then come back in a few days when you're feeling better."

Almost from the first word, Superman was shaking his head in the negative, and then it was almost as if he'd forgotten he was making the motion, because he didn't stop. Even after Lex stopped talking.

Lex raised a hand to Superman's face, and just laid it against a cheek. Carefully, because the last thing he needed was the wrenched hand or broken fingers he'd get if he grabbed the implacably moving face, and the last thing that Superman needed was the guilt for causing the injury.

At the feeling of Lex's hand on his cheek, Superman stopped moving, but he just stared down at him for several moments, eyes filled with a pain that Lex wouldn't have been able to fathom if it hadn't been for everything he'd seen and heard since he started monitoring Superman's activities so closely.

That, and the painful experiences he had in his own past. He well remembers the guilt he'd felt for so long at the thought that he'd killed his baby brother. "You're so tired, you are starting to make mistakes, Superman. You need to take a break before you do something you'll never forgive yourself for."

Slumping into the building behind him, Superman covered his face with his hands. "I can't believe I missed them. I've been searching so carefully, listening to, and sifting through, so many sounds. I should have spotted them days ago."

That Superman...Clark...was letting him see such vulnerability made Lex hope that his advice might be taken. "That wasn't a mistake. You're only one being, and you have hundreds of square miles to cover. That's why I had my R&D department working overtime on that equipment. To change the one set of eyes to hundreds."

Lex let his hand slip from a cheek to a shoulder, and added his other hand to Superman's other shoulder, looking him straight in the eye. "More of those devices are scheduled to be delivered every day. Soon, every volunteer will have one, and between us, we'll find anyone left alive. So take a couple of days to sleep and eat. You've gone too long without a break."

Bringing his hands up, Superman lay them over Lex's wrists and bowed his head a little. When he looked back up, Lex could see confusion and curiosity warring with tiredness on his face. "Why are you being so nice to me? Are you trying to get me out of the way for some reason?"

Swallowing his annoyance at having his motives questioned again, when all he'd tried to do was help, Lex dropped his hands and stood back. "I have nothing against you, Superman. Although, if you keep breaking into my labs, or questioning everything I do, that might change. You're the one who seems to have a grudge against me for some reason. However, my motivation is simple. I'm human, and I don't want to see any more of my race die needlessly. Especially if it's because you've gotten careless in your exhaustion."

Lex wasn't lying, not wanting anyone else to die was part of his motivation. However, he didn't want to see the despair which would be on Clark's face if he was actually responsible for someone's death. Seeing the guilt when he simply couldn't save someone was bad enough. Still, when Superman flinched away at his words, Lex didn't soften them. The hard truth might be the only way to get the hero to stop for a while.

Just when Lex thought Superman was going to give in to the logic, though, a glad cry had them both moving out from around the building to take in the scene they'd left behind.

The girl was now on a stretcher, and an IV was feeding liquid directly into her. Even better, she was awake and clutching weakly at her mother. Striding up to the head of the medical team, Lex thrust out his hand. "Congratulations on saving two lives. Excellent work."

Smiling, the medic reached out to take Lex's hand. "Thank you, sir, but there wouldn't have been lives to save if it hadn't been for Superman. It was a close one, especially for the little girl."

Looking embarrassed, Superman shook his head at the praise. "No, it was the devices supplied by Lex Luthor that found them. Not me."

Hearing the self-flagellation in Superman's voice for his perceived failure, Lex was going to jump in with a denial, but the medic beat him to it. "Perhaps so, Superman, but if you hadn't been around to get to them so quickly... Well, let's just say, that if they'd have had to wait to be dug out, then the girl at least would be dead, probably the mother, too. The device might have found them, but you're the one who saved them. Thank you, Superman."

Cursing under his breath at what the medic had said, Lex watched as Superman squared his shoulders, and he could practically see him push the tiredness from his eyes. "Always happy to be of service. Keep up the good work, and let me know if I can do anything else to help."

Turning those piercing eyes onto him, Superman almost looked apologetic. "Thanks for the advice, Lex, but I think I have some left in me to give, yet. I can rest when things have started to improve."

Without another word, Superman launched himself into the sky. Even the sound of his first name instead of his last from his former friend's lips, couldn't dispel the unhappiness he felt at knowing he'd never convince Clark to take a break now.

Lex thought about yelling into the sky, about how a disaster this size could take months to really improve. About how just because you had more left to give, didn't mean you should give it. He didn't, because he knew it wouldn't do any good. Besides, he was starting to understand that was what real heroes did. They gave what they could, and then they gave more.

Over the next several days, the Superman Channel continued to report around the clock. With the devices from LexCorp being distributed to every volunteer possible, several dozen more survivors were found. Superman managed to dig them all out from under the rubble.

As the days trickled by, the survivors found rapidly decreased. Lex was back to hoping that Clark would finally take a break.

Then, a report came in that another earthquake had hit. In China. Worse than the one in Mexico. With ten times the population of Mexico.

Lex closed his eyes, tipped his face to the sky, and barely managed to contain his scream of rage at the universe for the injustice of it all. Not just for Superman, but for the world as well.

Instead, he called out to Superman. He didn't yell, that would be ridiculous. The superhero's hearing was such that the small difference in decibels from one voice would make no difference. He was either listening, or not.

Several minutes went by, and just as Lex was thinking that he'd been too late, a small dot in the sky quickly grew into the instantly recognizable red, blue, and yellow costumed form of Superman.

The alien wobbled just slightly on his landing, and Lex aborted a move forward to help him. He knew it wouldn't be welcome. As it was, the move garnered him a sharp look. Or, as sharp as the exhausted hero could make it. "I'm in a hurry, Le...Luthor. What is it?"

Lex was actually surprised that Superman had come. He knew that the alien had to be chafing to get to China. "I just wanted to let you know that we'd be alright here without you. The survivors have most likely all been found, and between my resources and those of the Red Cross and other organizations like them, we'll be able to handle whatever else comes up. You can go to China with a clear conscious, and without worrying about what's being done for the people here."

Superman had gone completely still after the first couple of sentences, except for making a motion to reach out for Lex, which he quickly aborted. Lex ignored it, and continued. He knew Superman would want to get across the ocean soon. "When I eventually go back to the states, I'll keep a close eye on what's happening here. Just...do what you have to do, and then get some rest when it's all over. Let your fellow do-gooders take care of anything else that comes up."

The open vulnerability on Superman's...Clark's...face was painful to witness. "I...I don't know what to... Lex..."

The plea in that last word, in his name, had emotion welling up in Lex's throat, but he choked it down. "Go. Do what you do best. Save everyone you can, but for god's sake, don't feel guilty about those you can't. And...be careful."

Longing crossed Superman's face almost too quickly to identify, the vulnerability disappearing too, as Superman visibly gathered himself together. With a quick nod at Lex, Superman took to the air, and Lex went back to doing what he could for the people of Mexico. As he'd promised.

*************************************

It was two months before he saw Superman in person, again. Lex had spent several more weeks in Mexico before finally leaving. He was needed at LexCorp, and he didn't feel as though there was much left for him to do on-site. Nothing that couldn't be done by others, anyway. The things that he could still do, could be accomplished via telephone and email.

Mexico's infrastructure was well on the way to being rebuilt, thanks to the crews he'd lined up, and the supplies he'd purchased and guilted his rich acquaintances into donating. There was still a long way to go, and Lex had no intention of withdrawing his aid, but he could coordinate those efforts better from Metropolis.

He continued to what he could on the home front for Mexico, and he'd sent aid to China. He'd also collected most of his body heat devices, which sadly weren't needed in Mexico anymore, and sent them overseas. He'd had more made and sent over, too.

The reports on Superman's activities continued to come in around the clock, but Lex had stopped his obsessive listening. Nor did he turn on his monitor. He didn't need to know what the alien was doing every second of every day. He wanted to know, but that wasn't the same thing. He figured his therapist would be proud of him. Now, he only watched the footage on the national news.

So far, it looked as though Superman was keeping it together. There had been no reports of mistakes the hero had made, and Lex figured he'd taken the scare in Mexico to heart. Every once in while, a reporter commented on how much he was doing, and wondered when he took some time to rest; they might even make a comment about how the hero didn't look his best, but mostly they focused on his deeds, not his appearance.

The Superman Channel was a different story. They focused as much on Superman himself, as his good works. Lex was staying away from them altogether. There was nothing he could do for Superman. At least, not directly.

Since he wasn't paying as close attention to Superman's activity, Lex was surprised when the motion detector he'd put into Clark Kent's apartment went off. He hurried over to the television, and confirmed that the superhero had left China.

As much as he wanted to, Lex knew he couldn't go over to Clark's apartment. For one thing, Clark would need to sleep. For another, Lex wasn't sure he'd be welcome. This wasn't the time to find out if Clark was willing to give their old friendship another try. He'd wait, bide his time, and when Clark resurfaced, Lex would make the first overtures.

It was six days before the motion detectors went off in Clark's apartment again. Lex was at work, but he'd had an alarm built into his watch, so he'd at least know when it happened, even if he couldn't do anything about it right away.

After such a long time away, Lex knew that Clark wouldn't have anything edible in his apartment, so he had standing orders at a twenty-four/seven restaurant to have something ready to go at a moment's notice. He'd made them the day Superman came back.

Every day, the restaurant filled the order four times, although it was a little bit different depending on the time of day. Mid-morning, mid-afternoon, mid-evening, and the devil's hour . If they didn't get a call from Lex a few hours after each time, they were allowed to give the food to the local food kitchen.

It was just shy of noon when Clark finally started to move around in his apartment; apparently after sleeping for six days. Lex immediately placed a call to the restaurant, and had them deliver the food. After that, Lex did his best to put Clark from his mind, so he could finish his work day.

Two meetings, three reports, and fifteen phone calls later, Lex was buzzed by his secretary. "Sir, there's a Clark Kent here to see you. He doesn't have an appointment. Would you like me to send him away?"

Surprised, Lex hesitated, but only briefly. "No, that's alright. It's almost quitting time anyway. Send him in, and then why don't you go home for the evening."

"Yes, sir. Thank you, sir."

A tell-tale buzz let Lex know that she'd unlocked his office door, and he took a deep breath as it opened to show Clark standing there. Lex's eyes roamed over him quickly, taking in the ugly glasses, the ill-fitted suit, and the slouch. And, a thick file in one hand. Lex's eyes lingered on that, and then darted back up to Clark's face. "Clark, what may I do for you, today?"

Licking his lips, Clark's eyes darted around the room as he slowly walked forward. Lex realized he was nervous, and his eyes darted to the folder again. He was fairly sure he knew what was inside. He couldn't think of too many things that would be making Clark as nervous as he was.

Finally reaching Lex's desk, Clark licked his lips again, and if Lex didn't know better, he'd say Clark was being purposely enticing. However, he did know better. Unfortunately. Putting down the file on the clean surface of Lex's desk, Clark slid it forward. "Did you do this?"

After looking at Clark silently for several seconds, Lex finally looked down at the file. Opening it, he sifted through the contents quickly, his suspicion confirmed. It was the work of a man wanting to expose the drug cartel he'd worked for, but he didn't want to use his name. He just passed the information on right before he went underground.

Lex had realized that it would be a perfect cover for Clark's long absence. If he'd gone undercover to gather all of the information the files contained, it would take an indeterminate amount of time to accomplish. "No, Clark, I can honestly say that I did not do all the research that was necessary for such an in-depth report."

Pressing his lips together, Clark looked at him sharply. "Don't play games with me! Were you responsible for the electronic version of this file winding up in Perry White's email a few days ago?"

Sitting back in his chair, Lex laced his hands over his stomach and looked up at Clark. "Yes."

Turning abruptly away from Lex's desk, Clark walked over to huge window that made up the west-facing wall of the office. Looking out at the night view of the city, Clark shoved his hands into the pockets of his pants. "How long have you known?"

Getting out of his chair, Lex walked over to the window. He stopped a little behind and to the side of Clark, and looked at their reflections in the pane of glass. "Your other identity, you mean?"

At Clark's indrawn breath, Lex nodded his head to himself. Clark had been hoping for another explanation. To his credit, he didn't hesitate long. "Yeah, that's what I meant. When did you figure it out? Was it while Clark and Superman were both gone for so long during all of those disasters?"

Lex scoffed at that, and shifted his stance so he could see a little more of Clark's profile. "I suspected when I heard all of the stories about the mysterious Blur. I knew for sure as soon as you went public. What I don't understand is why everyone else is fooled by your flimsy disguise. You don't even hide your face! It makes no sense."

In the reflection, Lex saw Clark's lips quirk up just a little. "I know." Turning to face Lex, Clark straightened his posture, and put his glasses into his shirt pocket. "If you've known for so long, why didn't you say anything? Do anything? Especially after I started breaking into your labs?"

Shrugging, Lex turned to look out the window. "It doesn't matter."

"It does matter." Clark grabbed his arm, and Lex looked down at Clark's hand until he let go. "Tell me. Please."

Looking out at the city, Lex clasped his hands behind his back. "I don't know what I did in the past to make you think I'd try to ruin your life like that, Clark. I understand why you have to keep Clark and Superman as separate identities."

Turning his head slightly, Lex looked over at Clark. "In spite of how things ended several years ago, I've never felt any animosity towards you. Not really. And, once Superman arrived on the scene, I even understood why you reacted so harshly when you found my room in the mansion."

Lex saw Clark take a deep breath and let it out slowly. "Yeah." Clark's gaze finally meet his, and shared memories flow between them for several seconds before Clark looks away. "If that's the case, then why didn't you ever try to contact me?"

"Why didn't I..." Lex broke off and shook his head. Clark's voice had almost sounded slightly petulant. Lex figured he misheard. "You made your feelings very clear back then, Clark. Your, 'this friendship is over,' was very emphatic. It didn't occur to me that any overture on my part would be welcome. I took my cue from you, and you never contacted me, either."

"Me?" Clark looked at him surprise. "How could I contact you? You never even went back to the mansion. You just...left. You weren't supposed to leave. You went back to the city, and we...I...never saw you again."

That was definitely petulance. At least through most of it. The end had almost sounded wistful. "Clark?"

A small blush stained Clark's checks, and he shrugged. "Nothing was the same once you were gone."

Lex's heart started beating a little faster, but he forced himself not to react too quickly. "Oh?"

Reaching out, Clark curled an index finger around one of Lex's pinkies, the only finger to have escaped the clasp one hand had on the other behind his back, and gave a slight tug. Lex's hand came out to lie against his leg, Clark's finger still wrapped around his. "Yeah. Until a few months ago, when you helped me during that fire in Montana."

Clark let go with his pinky, and slid his fingers under Lex's, stroking with his thumb. Lex had to work hard to not shiver. "I knew it was you, even before I remembered about your government contract to work on their satellite system. Everything just felt right again."

Remembering how coldly Superman had behaved when he'd come to Lex's office after that fire, as well as the next several meetings after that, Lex felt justified in being skeptical. "Really? It didn't seem that way when you continued to call me Luthor instead of Lex, or when you questioned my motives in Mexico."

Another blush crossed Clark's cheeks, and Lex could tell this one had a tinge of shame to it. "Superman is a lot like you, Lex. He doesn't really have friends. At least not friends that don't want something from him. It's one of the reasons I put on an air of formality when I'm in the suit. After a while, it's hard to turn off. Besides, I was confused."

Tired of being passive, Lex twisted his wrist a little and captured Clark's fingers. He rubbed his thumb along Clark's palm and was gratified to hear a small hitch in the other man's breathing. "Confused about what?"

"Um..." Clark's eyes were a little unfocused, but he took a deep breath and seemed to get himself back on track. "Well, I seemed to have my obsessive Lex back--"

A bark of laughter was surprised out of Lex at that, and Clark tossed him a quick grin before continuing. "but, there was a difference. Instead of being destructive, as it was in Smallville, your obsessiveness was more helpful. It was like I had someone watching my back for the first time. It seemed to good to be true, though, so I tried to be cautious, and not read too much into what you were doing. Even when you helped me, such as in Tennessee and Italy, and then Mexico."

A look of speculation crossed Clark's face. "I might be as obsessive in my own way as you are in yours. Even though I was being cautious about why you were watching me, I didn't actually mind it. It felt good knowing you were there. I could imagine you were doing it because you cared about me. I was almost always aware of you being there. There were only a few times when I forgot to pay attention to the feeling that told me if you were observing me or not."

Thinking back over the last several months, Lex nodded his head. "Such as when you broke down crying in the middle of a prairie, after the death of that family."

Lex was surprised when Clark shook his head in the negative. "No. Actually that wasn't one of the times I forgot. I knew you were there, and it made me feel better that I had someone to share the grief with. Even if you weren't there in person."

Emotion welling up in his throat, Lex forced it back down. He didn't know what to say, but he could see by the look on his face that Clark could tell how much his confession had meant to Lex. Squeezing Clark's hand gently, Lex allowed a small smile to arc his lips up, and then he returned to something Clark had said previously. He had to clear his throat first, though. "Watching your back was what I was doing, eventually. That wasn't why I started watching you, though. It was a reaction to the destruction of those labs. My therapist might say that it was fueled by a deep seated resentment for how our friendship ended." Lex paused for just a moment. "We were probably both right."

It was Clark's turn to get a laugh surprised out of him. "I can understand that. And I'm sorry for my part in both. It was the meal you sent to my apartment and the files you sent to Perry that really made me realize what you were doing. I still questioned your motives, though. That's why I had to come here and find out how long you'd known. If you'd known for just a little while, then I would have still wondered about why. If you'd known for a while, however..."

Nodding his head in understanding, Lex looked at Clark questioningly. "So, if you have all your questions answered, what's next?"

Getting a mischievous smile on his face, Clark winked at him. "Eventually, I'm hoping for naked, sweaty, dirty sex, and a lifetime of dealing with each other's obsessions, but I suppose for now we should take it one step at a time."

Shaking his head sharply to clear it of the images from the first part of Clark's declaration, Lex sent him a wry look. "You certainly are different than the boy I knew in Smallville. I think I'm going to enjoy discovering the differences. One step at a time sounds like the perfect way to do that."

Smiling, Clark pulled Lex into a hug reminiscent of the one he'd given after Lex got back from the island. Then, in silent accord, they turned together to look out at Metropolis's night sky. Each with an arm around the other's waist.


End file.
